CHP Officiers Admitted Free To Saturday’s Salute to Indy Sprint Car Race at Perris

This Saturday night when Perris Auto Speedway hosts the annual “Salute to Indy” for the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, all active and retired California Highway Patrol Officers will be admitted to the race for free.  All they have to do is show their CHP badge at the ticket window and they will be given a free ticket.  Once inside, the officers will have someone to cheer for as second-year CHP officer Jeff Dyer will be racing in the show

CHP Officer Jeff Dyer will be racing in the Salute to Indy Saturday.  Doug Allen Photo.

The idea of admitting CHP members free came about when it came to light that Dyer, who was born in West Covina and went to Lutheran High in La Verne, recently received an award from “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers” (M.A.D.D.) for stopping and arresting 58 drunk drivers in 2018.

“We heard of the great award Jeff received for keeping us safe and protected while we are on the road,” promoter Don Kazarian said.  “He is not the only one out there.  We want to show all CHP officers that we appreciate the job they are doing, so we have decided to let them in free on Saturday.  And, they get to come watch one of their own racing on the track.”   

Many think of sprint cars as the most dangerous form of auto racing.  For Dyer, who now resides in Bermuda Dunes, sprint cars are a walk in the park.  Before becoming a CHP officer in 2017, he performed one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States Army.  He was an Explosive Ordinance Disposal team leader.  In other words, for 13-years he disarmed bombs and explosives for a living, and in that time served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“It is a cool thing that the “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers” have a good program out there,” Dyer said.  “I was honored to receive the award and it feels good that they recognize people who are out there working hard.  I wish I did not have to arrest anybody, but it is nice to get the people who have had too much to drink and decided to make a poor decision off the road.”

While Dyer enjoyed the Army life, he had a couple of dreams he wanted to fulfill.  One was racing a sprint car, which he now does for car owner Cal Smith in the USAC/CRA Series and in his own car in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series.  Unlike many who dream of racing, he had no ambitions to drive in NASCAR or Indy Cars.  Going to Ascot when he was a child, all he ever wanted to race was sprint cars.

The other dream he had was driving a CHP cruiser.

“Yes, that is true,” Dyer laughed when asked about his dreams.  “I love my job.  The best part of it is getting to help stranded motorists.  Also meeting people and the feeling of a sense of worth.  Likewise, I love racing in both the USAC/CRA Series and the California Lightning Sprint Car Series.”

Spectator gates for Saturday’s race will open at 5:00 P.M. and the first 200 fans through the front gate will receive a free stadium cup courtesy of the American Cancer Society.  The first race will take the green flag at 7:00.

Tickets for Saturday’s race are $25.00 for adults.  Seniors 65 and over get in for $20.00.  For active military with proper id and their spouse or date, it is $5.00 each.  Teens 13-18 with their school id and kids 6-12 get in for $5.00.  Children 5 and under are free.  Parking on the fairgrounds is $8.00.

Camping on the fairgrounds opens at noon on Friday.  Tailgating on the grassy area outside of turn four begins at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday.

Advance tickets for all Perris Auto Speedway events are available 24-hours a day online at https://bit.ly/2Aa50Lj or by calling 1-800-595-4849.  If you do not wish to buy tickets in advance for any race, there will be plenty of tickets for everyone at the ticket window on race night.

Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located on the SoCal Fair and Event Center (home of October’s Southern California Fair), approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one-hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, on the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds. For directions on MapQuest, the address to enter is: 18700 Lake Perris Drive and the zip code is 92571.

Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank its corporate partners for the 2019 season.  All Coast Construction,  Austin Hutchinson Realtor, Battery Systems, Brass and Bass Firearms & Fishing Supplies, Budweiser, Bud’s Tire Pro, Chris’ Hauling, City of Perris, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Ed Moore Bullet Proof Driveshaft, Flowdynamics, HD Industries, Hoosier Tires, Inland Rigging, K2 Displays, Living Water’s Hospice, LKQ Pick Your Part, Luke’s Transmission, Pepsi-Cola, Pole Position, PrintItNow.com,  Rainbow Bolt & Supply, Shaver Specialties, Square H, Sunoco Race Fuels, Sunstate Equipment, Trench Shoring, Varner Construction, VIA RV Service and Vista Paint.

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